SK8 the Infinity: Anime Thoughts & Review
| Genre: | Sports, Adventure, Coming-of-Age, Friendship |
| Recommend: | Recommend! |
Update August 2022: It’s official! We are getting a new OVA and a Season 2!!
Finished watching Sk8 the Infinity 「SK∞ エスケーエイト」!
This was an anime series that I decided to watch on a whim at the start of 2021 and it unexpectedly turned out to be one of the 2021 anime series that I really enjoyed watching! No fiddling of phones during episodes. ^ ^
Who knew an anime about skateboarding could be so fun to watch?
Sure, SK8 is filled with clichés, stereotypes and (at-times) overused tropes but the production team executed them all expertly. Everything was so well done that the anime was really fun to watch.
It certainly helps that the production team (re: Hiroko Utsumi & Bones) REALLY knows their target audience (re: fangirls) and has enough bromance and more (emphasis on the more) (≧◡≦) ♡ for the different age-groups watching the episodes lol.
Read on to find out my thoughts about this fun and stylish series! ^ ^ I’ve also tried a slightly different style in this post compared to my usual anime thoughts and review pieces, so let me know if it works?
Page Contents
What is SK8?
SK8 is an original anime series that centers around a group of skateboarding enthusiasts of all ages in Okinawa, Japan. For the hardcore skateboarders, there’s an underground, no-holds-bar, crazy and extremely dangerous skateboarding race, known as “S”, held after midnight.
The main protagonist, Reki, is a high-schooler who loves skateboarding. He befriends Langa, a transfer student from Canada, and introduced him to the crazy world of “S” filled with outrageous skateboarding battles, colourful characters that participates in “S”, as well as the simple joy of skateboarding.
Langa, who has never skateboarded in his life, quickly shows an insane and innate talent for the sport. As Langa gets increasingly drawn in to the world of “S” and skateboarding, friendships are made, past secrets are revealed and there’s a gradual realization of what truly matters the most to the characters.
So expect flamboyant characters and costumes, crazy over-the-top skateboarding battles and the passion of youth (and adults) in the exciting and passionate world of SK8!
And that’s my official introduction of the anime. ^ ^
Check out the section “Bonus Conversation – G.T.F version” for an “unofficial” and somewhat “hilarious” pitch of the anime to my friends.
My Thoughts on SK8
*Slight Spoilers ahead. Please read with caution if you haven’t watched the anime yet.
As shared, I really enjoyed SK8 and its colourful crew of characters and costumes.
It’s fun, it’s stylish and I really liked how the anime is unapologetic over-the-top with the skateboarding.
Not every anime needs to have depth or has to be thought-provoking to be worth a watch (although the best anime out there usually are). Some anime, like SK8, is just pure fun and simply a delight to watch. These type of anime are important to have too. I mean, sometimes we just need something fun to wind down with at the end of the day to fangirl or fanboy over, right? (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
To SK8’s credit though, despite the short episode run, the production team did try to address the sad reality where sometimes passion might not equate to talent. You may love a sport or hobby very much but unfortunately, you are just not as talented as a select few to move on to the next competitive level.
Such a realization can often be demoralizing, soul-crushing and might even ruin friendships.
Indeed, the negative feelings arising from such realizations can be compounded and are often-times very difficult to bear, especially when you have close friends/team-mates that are on a different level playing field from you. The fact that you may never reach the same level of skill or achievement as them, despite the hard work and effort you put in practicing, makes you feel angry, resentful, hurt, despair and resigned. And then you are left with 3 options:
1. Give up and walk away.
2. Continuing on no matter what.
3. Accept your fate and find another way to still pursue your passion but in a more fringe supporting role.
Most people understandably end up choosing option 1 and 3.
And so this was the moment I started to see Reki beyond the lens of a regular high-schooler in SK8 and started to really admire his strength and resolution, because after struggling with the same realization and despair, he emerged stronger and chose option 2.
As with most sports anime, we usually see the main character full of passion and love for the sport. Reki is no different and his love for skateboarding is a joy to behold. His enthusiasm for skateboard is infectious and frankly gives you warm and fuzzy feelings.
However what’s refreshing about SK8 is that, unlike most of the main protagonists in sports anime, Reki is good at the sport (skateboarding) but is simply not as insanely talented as his friends and antagonists (re: Langa and Adam respectively), despite his passion and enthusiasm.
Instead, Reki ends up playing the (important) role of the supportive friend who is both mentor, emotional anchor and inspiration to Langa’s skateboarding journey. This is rather rare because in most sports anime, its usually the other way around for the main character! Plus Reki even customizes and hand-makes Langa’s skateboards! Together, Reki and Langa are surely stronger and happier.
Having accepted that while he may never be at the same competitive level as his friends in skateboarding, Reki ultimately comes to the realization that he could never give up skateboarding because of this. Instead, he would continue to skateboard and continuously try to surpass himself. Why?
Simply because skateboarding is fun! ^^
And it is even more fun when you skate with friends who share the same passion as you.
And I believe that’s the core message of SK8. That no matter what age you are, no matter what level of competency you are at for an activity, doing something that you love and find joy in is really what gives our lives meaning. Having companions to share this joy with is even better. (Note: This sentiment refers to legal and non lethal activities of course.)
Reki helped Langa and Tadashi realized this. And through Langa, Adam finally realizes this truth as well.
So what if skating might be dangerous or you might not be talented enough to compete or if skateboarding is perceived as deviant hobby by society? At the end of the day, what ultimately matters is the joy and love you get from skateboarding. And WHO you are skateboarding with. ^ ^
SK8 Characters
For a short anime series like SK8 where style tends to be stronger than plot, the success of the anime ultimately depends on its colourful characters, so it was extremely important for the anime to have likable and interesting characters.
And in this area, the SK8 project team really got it right. ^ ^ Like I’ve said, they really know their target audience. Each and every one of the 8 featured characters (that we care for) are extremely memorable, distinct and colourful. All of them have flashy moves, cool skateboards and personalized decals.
Plus, the anime definitely did not shy away on how certain characters mean to each other. In other words, SK8 is a very shippable anime. ^ ^ I believe that was a deliberate and smart move by the production team.
What I especially liked, found amusing and oh-so relatable was how the anime took time to show us that the adults who skateboards all still need to have a functioning day-job to pay the bills. And it was only at night, after work, that they get to transform into their “Skateboarding” persona and finally let loose. (Rings a bell?) Well except for Joe, he’s the same day-in and day-out and we all love him. (≧◡≦) ♡
Yes, my favourite characters in SK8 are actually Joe and Cherry (Like that’s not an easy guess LOL) despite me talking so much about Reki earlier. I love the dynamics of their relationship and how despite their bickering, we know how much they care about each other. ^ ^ Plus they are Miya’s “Dad” and “Mum” LOL
Tadashi too caught my eye right from the start because the anime radar in me sensed that there had to be some backstory between him and Adam… and I was right!
My only complain is that we need to see that skateboarding match between him and Adam! We also need to see them skating with each other again. The smiles on the young Adam’s face was so precious and pure! I’m really happy that we got to see some semblance of happiness and the repairing of the bonds between them at the end of episode 12.
Speaking of Tadashi, am I the only one who thinks that in terms of power and skill, Tadashi probably is the STRONGEST at the end of S1? I mean considering who he is to Adam and that Adam had been the undefeated “S” champion for so long… Furthermore, Tadashi likely hasn’t been skateboarding for a long time by the time Langa came onto the “S” scene so to be able to win against Shadow with such ease clearly suggest his level of skill.
We need to see him skate against Langa, Joe and Cherry too!!
Other things that I like about SK8 are the designs of the skateboards. I love the pop art feel of the skateboards. It’s also pretty rare to find an anime set in Okinawa so that was pretty neat.
So in conclusion, at 13 episodes (12 episodes + a recap #9.5), SK8 is a fun and easy watch. The OP and ED songs are really nice and inspiring as well. I definitely wouldn’t mind a second season (which might be likely seeing how popular it is with the fans).
Definitely a recommendation, especially for the gals in my book! ^^
Season 2 Announcement
It’s official! We are getting a brand new OVA and a season 2!!! Can’t wait to watch these skateboarding boys light up the screen again! More details will be revealed in the coming days on twitter.
What or who are you most looking forward to in the new production? Let me know in the comments!
I personally really hope we get to see more of Tadashi’s mad skateboarding skills in the episodes. I would love to see how the others react to Tadashi being the one who introduced and taught Adam skateboarding all those years ago too.
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Bonus SK8 Conversation – G.T.F version
So, in an attempt to get my friends interested in watching SK8, we had this whole hilarious conversation on whatsapp that I thought might be fun to share here: ^ ^
*Major Spoilers ahead. Please read with caution if you haven’t watched the anime yet. Take note that the conversation happened sometime between watching episode 7 and 9. Words in bracket and italics are my thoughts to my friends’ comments in hindsight. As my two friends are okay with spoilers, I could share plot points and developments with them.
It all started when I shared the below characters’ picture with them. ^ ^
Friend A: “SK8 looks like an anime in some different dimension.” (which technically is a logical assumption to make if you just look at the personas and costumes)
Friend B: ” Everyone looks like a 中二 and then there’s Tadashi LOL.” ^ ^
Me: “All the the characters in the picture are adults except for the 1st 3 characters. Tadashi is the chauffer/secretary to Adam and they are likely to have some complicated back story (note: this conversation took place BEFORE Eps 8 and we all know after that the true relationship between the two)
I then proceeded to breakdown the anime like this: SPOILERS. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED SK8
- Reki and Langa are high school students. Langa is a transfer student from Canada! Joe, Cherry and Adam were high school classmates and are now adults LOL (I honestly don’t know why I said this hahaha. Like how being an adult is some defining characteristic of an anime character).
- Shadow’s day job is a florist assistant. He has a crush on the lady boss.
Friend B: “Oh Shadow is just like [ Detroit Metal City ] !”
Me: “Yes! That’s what I thought too! Super sweet and normal in the day-time but totally the opposite at night LOL”
- Adam’s day job is a politician. He’s looking for his Eve and has become an obsession. He eventually believes that his Eve is Langa. Reki wants Langa to have nothing to do with Adam but Langa can’t stop the urge to compete with Adam because Adam is JUST that good.
- Joe and Cherry wants to “beat some sense” into Adam by besting him in the Skateboard race/competition because Adam changed into this weird (re: psychotic) dangerous adult after high school. To complicate things, Adam for some reason treats Tadashi as inferior and insults him all the time despite the latter’s loyalty to him.
- However, in a twist, we found out that Tadashi grew up with Adam and was actually the person who taught Adam how to skateboard. Tadashi is now on a quest to get Adam to give up skateboard once and for all by trying to defeat him in the “S” competition.
- Reki is good friends with Langa and the one who taught him how to skateboard. He even makes Langa his own skateboard! However, Reki is having a crisis of confidence. He taught Langa how to skateboard but as Langa, who actually snowboards all his life, has easily surpassed him in both skills and talent. As a result, Reki is feeling sad and frustrated. He starts avoiding Langa.
- Langa feels a loss and don’t know what to do and feel. There was a hilarious moment (squeals from fangirls) where Langa’s mother thought Langa was talking about a girl and r/s problems and gave him r/s advice which Langa took literally to heart. 🙂
- Joe and Cherry Bicker all the time… like a married couple. The UST is strong in this pair of “rivals”. ^ ^
Friend B: “OMG! Is this Shonen-Ai??”
Me: “No. But it’s heavily implied and played with. They know their target audience haha. Its kind of like[ Free! ] 🙂 You can see it as Bromance or BL… depending on the audience. ^ ^
Friends A and B: OHHHHHHHH! Okay, we’ll go watch!
Me: Mission Accomplished! ^V^
More Information
SK8 is an original anime series that was jointly produced by Hiroko Utsumi (内海紘子) and Studio Bones (ボンズ). As shared in my review on Hoshiai no Sora , original anime series are increasingly rare nowadays as most of the anime we see today are adapted from an existing popular manga or novel.
So the fact that we got such a fun anime out of SK8 was pretty great. ^ ^
Fun Fact: Hiroko Utsumi has worked on Free! and Banana Fish among many other popular anime.
Manga/Comic
Due to the popularity of SK8, the original anime series now has a manga adaptation too! And get this, its not just one but TWO different manga adaptations by two different illustrators! ^ ^
「SK∞ エスケーエイト」is the official manga adaptation of the anime series by Kazuto Kohjima (航島カズト). You can find more information about the manga on the BookLive! e-book store under the publisher: NINO.
The manga adaptation by Toriyasu ( トリヤス ) is called “SK8 Chill Out!” (SK∞ エスケーエイト チルアウト！) . This is more of a comedy-style short-story comic with the illustrations in SD (chibi) character. The comic series started in mid January 2021
You can now read some of the chapters legally and free on the Young Ace Up manga website which it is currently serialized! ^ ^
DVD/BLU-RAY
As with all anime, there will always be the BD/DVD release. And in Japan, the BD/DVD sales are still important in determining whether an anime would have another season. Not surprisingly then, each BD/DVD volume comes with a whole lot of bonus features and exclusive items.
SK8 is no different and the cool thing about their BD/DVD is that the disc jackets unfolds to form a skateboard! Check out more details here. There will be 6 volumes released in total for the anime series.
Social Media
SK8 has a really strong presence on Social Media. They actually created a separate fan website and social media account for the International audiences! How about that? Its always nice to see them considering us overseas fans.
You can also watch the series on Funimation and Muse Asia Youtube Channel, depending on your geographical location.
SK8 Music
For such a fun and stylish anime, it’s only expected that the music and soundtrack is good as well. SK8 certainly doesn’t disappoint in this area. The OP & ED songs are quite nice and fits the mood of the anime pretty well. Both songs are available on Spotify as well ^ ^
OP: “Paradise” by Rude-α
P.S: There’s another song by Rude-α that is really nice as well. It’s “Life” which is the ED song of Dr Stone Season 1. Go have a listen. You are welcome. ^ ^
ED: “Infinity” (インフィニティ) by Yuri (優里)
The official video with the ending animation was removed so I’ve shared another video kindly uploaded by youtube user “Kirishima’s Mom”.
Side-note: I find the lyrics quite meaningful and the “flashback” noob moments of our favourite skateboarders was a nice touch by the production team as well. It reminds us that none of the ridiculously talented and strong skateboarders in the anime started out that way.
Sure they may have loads of talent but ALL of them started out as noobs and really had to work hard to learn their craft as well. Their talent just brought them to another level and perhaps picked up skills faster.
Side-Note 2: Did you all catch the slight change in the ED Animation for Episode 11?? Tadashi catches Adam! ^ ^ Yay!
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